Once upon a River
by Isabeau Jones
Summary: If only he could know how much I cared... The story of how a love sick mermaid finds her love on the banks of the Brandywine river...ArielxMerry crossover! Slightly AU, set in Middle Earth
1. His World and Hers

The breeze rolled down the green hills, and washed upon me as I basked on a secluded rock. As the wind ruffled my damp and stringy, unkempt blonde hair, I hummed a melody and tried to tame the tangles. On the riverbank, I smiled at a group of children, smaller than other leg-walkers I'd seen, splashing in the shallows. Their parents (like their children, smaller than most other humans), kept close eyes on them. But that was no matter. They had a Water Child in their river now.

And what, pray tell, is a Water Child, you may ask? I suppose you could call us what the Men Folk in Middle Earth would call us… Merfolk. We live in large bodies of water that are always reachable by the Sea. Each river, lake, pond and stream in Middle Earth had a Water Child residing in it. We were the guardians of the Water, and those who were in danger from our waters. My family –my father, two sisters, and I- made our homes hear, after word had gotten to us that two of the folk in this land had died in a boating accident, for none of us were there to protect them. We were now the appointed protectors of a water called The Brandywine River.

I used to wonder why the Leg walkers did not ever think we exist, but my father told me the Men folk are blind to us. We can change our looks so Men will see what they can dismiss as an everyday thing, such as a fish, or even one of their own kind, swimming around in the water.

But when we aren't disguised, we surely are a sight to see. You see, where men would wield brandish two, ungainly legs, my kind would sport a beautiful fish tail, with scales that would sparkle in the moonlight.

But why all this need for confusion and deception? In order to survive, the Merfolk have had to hide so we won't be hunted for our tailfins or hair, which can be woven into the strongest cloth in existence. But those times are over, for we have hidden ourselves well with our magic. So well, in fact, that some of my people had magicked themselves to become human. Nowadays, we would simply change forms to hide away from prying Air Breather's eyes.

Laughter from the other side of the riverbank reached my ears. I eased myself into the water, and swam a little closer to the source of delight. Behind another rock, I spied three more of the short folk. There were four of them. All four were men –As far as I could tell- And two of them were laughing at two others who were…what was the word…? Dancing! Dancing around and singing merrily. They were younger looking men, maybe in their twenties if they were Merfolk. The two laughers were propped against a tree, with long sticks sticking out of theirs mouths with…Smoke? Smoke or fog coming out of the ends. One was sandy haired, a little on the heavy side, and was sitting next to a fair, dark haired fellow with sad blue eyes. The two that were dancing were the ones who caught my eyes the most. One -obviously the youngest in this group- was stomping around in a silly matter, while the other one was singing his song. The singer had reddish hair, and his blue eyes sparkled mischievously as he danced with his friend. The four men all had very large and furry feet! This surprised me most of all, because none of the Land Walkers I ever saw looked the way these did.

I sat there for some time, watching the four friends as they talked, laughed, and used those funny sticks in their mouths. Darkness fast approached, and the four Land Folk headed away from the riverbank. The singer remained for a moment though. He faced the water, and took a deep breath of the fresh air, and smiled contentedly. He then took off in the wake of his friends.

I stared after him for a few moments after. He was…different. They all were, but he had something that caught my attention the moment I saw him. I sighed, and dove under the water, in search of my new home, and my father, who would probably tell me what sort of people these folk were.

* * *

Father roared with laughter at my question that at dinner about the Surface-dwellers. "The Halflings?" He guffawed, sinking into his niche in the wall of our grotto. "Well, Ariel, I'm surprised I haven't told you yet. Forgive me." He chuckled one last time, and deep breath. "Halflings- or Hobbits, rather- are practically just shorter versions of men and elves. They treat their waters kindly, which I am grateful for. They never stay far from their homeland, only going as far north as the Lake Evendun, which isn't so far from our old home at the Gulf." He sighed, apparently thinking of more to tell me. "Well, that is all I can think of. You can feel free to go ashore as one of them, for I've been told that these Hobbits are peaceful." With that, he headed to the opening of the cave. "I'll go find your sisters, and tell them. Get some sleep, youngest daughter. Sweet Dreams."

* * *

For nearly six days, I watched the hobbits as they would come to the River's shore, and I slowly fell in love with these people. They were so simple, and so pure. I always kept a lookout for the four I first met, and especially for the one who sang. My vigils for them had not gone in vain, for I saw the four after my first two days observing the river.

I sat under the shade of the tree I first saw them under, safely hidden next to a boulder in the shallows. I had learned their names over the past few days. Frodo was the dark haired and pale one, Sam was the plump one, Pippin the youngest one, and Merry was the singer's name. These four had captured my heart, and I instantly felt I needed to protect them most of all when they neared my river. As Pippin came charging up the hill, I kept my eyes on his companion, who turned out to be my singer, Merry. Frodo and Sam came up the hill, conversing casually as they watched the younger hobbits roll down the hill, laughing as they went. I laughed too- they certainly were a sight to see!

About an hour passed. Frodo read a book, Sam smoked a pipe -A term I picked up from these four- and Merry and Pippin talked about...women.

"Honestly, Mer, when do ya think you'll find a nice lass to court? You're gettin' old, you are." Pippin snacked at his friend's lack of girls flocking to him. From what I'd heard the past few days, Pippin and Frodo were quite the charmers. "Now, now, Pip." Merry rebuttled. "Just because you don't see me with a lass, doesn't mean I don't have a lass in mind."

Frodo looked up from his book and shared an incredulous look with Pippin, and Sam coughed on his smoke. Merry nodded.

A few moments passed. Everyone (Including myself,) waited for Merry to tell us who this girl was. I had to admit, I was a little jealous, but I had grown fond of My Hobbits (As I had secretly began to call them). Frodo broke the silence, "Well, are you going to tell us who she is?"

Merry chuckled. "Well, she's a curvy lass, with long, beautiful hair-" (_I have long beautiful hair, too,_ I thought wistfully.) "-And beautiful eyes, clear as a fresh water spring."

The other three were silent. "Estella Bolger?" Pippin piped up.

_So that's who it was!_ I snorted angrily. The hobbits heard the sound, and looked around for the source of it. In a panic, I ducked my head under the water, and missed part of the conversation. When I resurfaced, it was to the sound of Merry's indignant voice. "-within ten feet of her even if you paid me in gold. She's a menace, that one is." I glanced at the others, who were chortling. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief-_wait, what? Why am I relieved? _

"But keep in mind, lads. Once I find her- the One, I mean- Then, it'll hit me...Like lightning!"

As if it were fate, a rumble of thunder echoed nearby, as the first few raindrops began to fall. Frodo tucked his book away, and Sam stashed away his pipe. They said something to the other two, and Pippin followed the older Hobbits. Merry yelled over his shoulder, "I think I'll stay for a moment. I am right behind you three!" He stood looking into the river, hands tucked into his pockets. For a few minutes He stood, and I stared at him. He and his friends were always a little out of my line of sight, but I could always tell which Hobbit was which, and that Merry was very handsome.

I think it was then I had realized something- _I care for this short Land Walker. _For nearly a week I watched him and his friends, and I already felt like I had known them for years. Merry was the one out of the group who acted like a young child and an adult at the same time. Oh, and how he made me smile!

I sighed. Rather loudly, I fear. His eyes snapped up fro the lake, and looked around for the cause of the noise. "Who's there?" He asked. Then, to my horror, he came walking to my secret spot. I froze, for I knew he saw at least my eyes peeking from behind the rock. "Hello, there who- Hey, wait!"

He tried to talk to me, but I dove beneath the water before he could see the rest of me. I kept swimming, leaving Merry -And my heart- on land.


	2. The Stom and the Rescue

For nearly a week after I did not leave my subterranean home. My father and elder sisters, Marissa and Dalia, tried their hardest to coax me out of my room, but thoughts of Merry kept me under the water. I wanted so badly to talk to him, to get to know his world.

But what I think kept me away from the hobbit folk was jealousy. I was jealous of their feet, and their soft, curly hair, and their music. I could almost hear the windy instrument Pippin sometimes played. I needed to see them; my hobbits.

I then and there decided to leave my room, swim past my astonished family, and dash for the surface, which was sprinkling with raindrops.

* * *

"…And then, after I called out to her, she vanished!" I exasperated at the Green Dragon Inn to my friends. I finally decided to tell them what had been bothering me for the past week after Pip's constant nagging. I told them of how I saw the girl at the river, and how she disappeared into the water.

Frodo was the first to break the odd silence. "What did she look like, Merry?"

"I… I don't know." I admitted sheepishly. "But I saw her eyes. They were… extraordinary. They were the perfect mixture of green and blue… almost like the river itself." I knew I sounded ridiculous, but I knew what I saw. She was real.

"Tha' was pure poetry, Merry," Pippin chucked into his mug. I knew he would laugh, and when I was about to kick him under the table, and unexpected voice spoke up from my left, "I believe you, Mister Merry."

The three of us did a double take to Sam, who was sitting smoking his pipe stoically. "My old Gaffer always told me stories about water spirits. Mister Frodo, didn't Mister Bilbo ever tell you stories about water people?"

Frodo wrinkled his brow in thought, and then he remembered. "He did…Tom Bombadill's wife. Goldberry is her name. She's supposed to be the most beautiful woman ever seen, and she was a River child."

"Well, that's all they ever were!" Pippin sighed. "They're just stories, Mer. There aren't any fish people in _our_ River." I always hated when he acted like the mature one, even though he was the baby in our group.

He shook his head at me like my father did when he was lecturing me. "You need to find a lass, Merry."

Though he was just teasing me, that jib touched a nerve. I pushed my chair away from the table, and leapt out of my seat. "I'm off," I muttered, as I practically flew to the door. The cool night air met me with a gust of wind and a drenching of rain. I only had one place in mind, and I didn't care that the rain was pelting down on me. I had to get to the river.

* * *

The rain was beating down hard by the time I broke the surface, and the wind turned the calm river into a raging one. I was having a hard time staying in the same spot above the water; the current was so strong. I knew in my mind that my hobbits wouldn't be outside in this weather, but my heart just longed to see them. Especially Merry.

_Speaking of which…_

While wind rustled my hair, and rain distorted my vision, I saw a familiar red headed hobbit attempt to climb the tree my hobbits usually gathered around. The figure was trying to climb the tree, and reaching for a long stretch of fabric caught in a branch. _What is the mad hobbit doing? That branch looks awfully weak; he shouldn't be sitting on—_

A roll of thunder addled the poor hobbit, and to my horror the branch broke beneath his weight, and he plummeted into the tumultuous water.

* * *

I wrapped my cloak around me tightly as I was assaulted by the weather. The wind was the strongest I'd ever felt and it kept blasting the hood off of my head. The pitch black sky occasionally flashed with thunder, and rain pelted me from all directions. To tell the truth, half of me wanted nothing but to go home, but something dragged me back to this spot by the river.

I took refuge under the familiar tree, leaning against it until I caught my breath. I scanned the chaotic water, my heart longing for a sign… But deep down, I knew she couldn't be out in the water in this weather. She wasn't a fish, after all. I knew I would have to apologize to the others, and with a heavy sigh, I turned back down to the path. But then, a blast of wind ripped the cloak off my shoulders, and bore it away into the branches of the tree. Soaked and grumbling, I began to climb the sodden tree. The higher I got, the more the wind and the rain buffeted me. I reached my cloak, and when I reached out to grab it, the branch gave way under my weight, and I plunged into the water.

The water was black as pitch, and I was tossed around like a piece of refuse. I was tossed under the surface, I couldn't see; I couldn't breath. Struggle as I might, there was no escape from my watery prison. My breath caught in my throat, and my last thought was of those eyes, and arms embracing my body.

* * *

I plunged deep under the water, vainly scanning for my hobbit._ Where is he?_ I had begun to panic, when I caught the shape of a small form struggling under the turbulent water. With all my strength, I swam to him, only to arrive as he grew still. My mind numbed, and I couldn't fathom that he was dead. I took him into my arms, and dragged him towards the surface. I broke the water with a gasp, using one arm to drag myself and the limp hobbit to the shore. I laid him down softly, and got my first close look at the Halfling.

He was handsome. His hair (though drenched,) was the shade of the setting sun on the water, and his skin slightly tanned, and a nose that was slightly pushed up. I noticed that even laying down, we were about the same height. "Merry," I sighed the name for the first time, placing my trembling fingers to his bare throat, praying for a sign of life. Yes! There was a heartbeat; Faint, but existant. I slet loose a breath I wasn't aware I had been holding, and my fingers slowly traveled up his neck, and caressed his face. _His skin was so smooth..._

And there I sat for what seemed like an eternity as his breath became more and more steady. I hardly notice the begining of the sunrise, and the drifting away of the stormclouds. I felt as though I should say something to him, try to encourage his awakening. But nothing came to mind. _Wait... _My mind drifted back to my childhood, back to when my mother was alive. _"Ariel," She would soothe me when I was sad or sick. "Would you like me to sing you to sleep?"_ My mother's melodies always put fear and sorrow out of my mind, and helped me find peace. I decided to try and coax Merry out of his sleep with a song.

_"What would I give, to live where you are?" _I started slowly and softly, thinking of words to a familiar melody.  
_"What would I pay to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you smiling at me?_ I could feel him begin to stir, and my confidence and love for my hobbit soared. _"Where would we walk, Where would we run? If we could stay all day in the sun?" _As though it were magic, the sun finally rose from behind the last of the clouds, shining triumphantly behind me. _"Just you and me..." _His hand moved to my own, and I thought my heart would stop. The singing was working! _"...And I could be part of your world!"_ His brilliant blue eyes fluttered open, and I could feel him try to focus on the figure in front of him. I saw something spark in his eyes, and I thought he was about speak, but a famliar voice called from atop the hill. "Merry? MERRY?" It was Pippin. As much as I wanted to stay with him, I knew young Pippin could take care of Merry better than I could. Heart full of regret, I flipped back into the water.

* * *

My mind begain to flicker back into conciousness, much like a fire that had been started with waterlogged firewood. Speaking of waterlogged... I remembered being in the water, and a pair of arms... My ears (though full of water) began to pick up a voice, singing. It was beautiful. Even though I could barely focus on the sound, the melody and it's singer enchanted me, and I tried to rise. The voice grew louder, and I could feel a hand genlty touching my face. I needed to find the voice, and I brought my hand to meet the one on my face. It felt dainty..._Was it a woman's hand_? ''...Part of your world!" The song ended, and my eyes finally creaked open at last. There was a woman hovering above me, the sun silhouetting her figure. But I could make out those eyes. _Those eyes... They were impossibly green and blue..._

"Merry? MERRY?" Was that Pippin? He sounded so far away... The girl looked up the hill, and then she was gone. I pushed myself up into a seated position, and I thought I caught a splashing sound in the water.

"Merry?" Pippin reached me at last, taking notice of me at last. "Are you alright? Your parents told us you never went home last night, and we went searching for you. What happened?" He pulled meupto my feet, and asked me if I could walk. I nodded, and he started to help me up the hill. "C'mon, I'll take you to Bag End, Frodo and Sam have been there since Midnight." At the top of the hill, I noticed my cloak had vanished. I shot one last glance over to the River, but there was no one in sight.

* * *

I watched the Hobbits go from my hiding place with sorrow in my heart. I gazed down at the fabric in my hands, the same one that Merry tried to retrive from the tree. "I don't know when," I sighed, smoothing the fabric in my hands. "And I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now..." Tears of longing began to slide down my face. "Watch, and you'll see some day I'll be a part of your world!" I promised, and travelled back to my home, a plan already forming in my mind...


	3. Many Meetings

**Last time, on Once Upon A River...**

___Ariel_

___I watched the Hobbits go from my hiding place with sorrow in my heart. I gazed down at the fabric in my hands, the same one that Merry tried to retrieve from the tree. "I don't know when," I sighed, smoothing the fabric in my hands. "And I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now..." Tears of longing began to slide down my face. "Watch, and you'll see some day I'll be a part of your world!" I promised, and travelled back to my home, a plan already forming in my mind..._

* * *

Merry

As I sat in the parlor room of Bag End I knew I would have to apologize to my friends for leaving them last night. It wouldn't be easy, but I owed them an explanation. What if they asked me what I was doing at the lake? That _would_be thought to explain. There'd be no end to Pippin's nagging if I didn't. I'd tell them I needed to cool off from the argument at the Green Dragon, but accidentally fell into the lake. But something was troubling me. It was that girl. The one with the amazing eyes. She had saved me, even if no one else believes so. There was something about the girl that made me think of nothing else. Then and there, on Frodo Baggins' favorite reading chair, I vowed that I would find that girl with eyes the color of the sea, and ask her to marry me.

* * *

Ariel

Many a night I sat awake in my cave, wondering what my hobbits were doing. Were they sleeping? What kind of foods did they eat? I began to leave my room more often, much to my family's surprise. I still hadn't told them why I had left the grotto a few weeks ago. But we all knew one fact. The season of fall was fast approaching, and that meant less leaving the water, and less seeing My Hobbits. I had to go amongst them. I needed it. If I had to wait through all the cold months in this lonely lake, I would probably die! I had to get onto the surface, and I knew just how to do that. Merfolk are blessed with the magic of hiding and blending in, but only the elder of my kind can use it at will. Therefore, a special potion can be prepared for the young or the old incapable of commanding the magic any longer. I knew my father kept a bottle of this potion somewhere in the cave...

After sneaking about my home for many an hour, my labors paid off. Late, while my family slept, I found a bottle of a murky substance among my father's possessions, and attached to it was a scroll. **"Gaiaenium Potion. A single drop will give you the form of any land walker you desire. Caution, though. Potion may cause heart palpitations, dizziness, vocal loss and nausea. Potion lasts for one whole month, and then you will revert back to Merfolk form**." Well, I thought to myself, I'll have to take my chances. I went into my own things, and pulled out Merry's swath of fabric he lost in the storm. I looked down to my sleeping father and sisters, and whispered a loving goodbye in each of their ears. Without further ado, I left my home for the last time.

I broke the water, and gazed up at the glorious full moon. The stars sparkled and were mirrored against the water as I swam to the shore. With the cloth in one hand and the potion in the other, I sat on the beach, preparing myself for the pain that must accompany the splitting of my tailfin. I thought for a moment. Hobbit women usually wore... Skirts? Yes, skirts around their legs. I looked down at the cloth, and an idea popped into my head. I rolled myself onto the cloth, and wrapped it around my torso, so it would cover most of my body. Now, I looked down at the potion in my hands. Here came the hardest part. "For Merry." I decided, and swallowed the potion.

Never before had I felt pain like this. Like being torn by a knife, burned alive and crushed, the pain never stopped coursing though my legs. I wanted to die. But one thought kept me from loosing my mind. _Merry_. Soon, though, the pain proved too much for me, and I succumbed to its fire. I lay there on the beach all night, under the Moon and stars.

* * *

Merry

"Merry?" Frodo's voice called from the hallway. I snapped out of my reverie and answered back to my cousin. He stuck his head out into the parlor. "Sam, Pippin and I are going for a walk. Care to join us?" I thought for a moment, and decided I wanted to be alone for the time being. "No thank you, Frodo. I'm still a bit peaky, but I'll still be here when you come back." He nodded, and said they'd be home later, and to help myself to anything in the kitchen. I waited for the front door to close, and I rose to the kitchen. Things were quiet ever since Old Bilbo left last fall, and I wondered briefly if he'd ever come back to the Shire. I got up, and went into the kitchen, but I found that I wasn't hungry at all. All my thoughts were still on that beautiful girl. "Where did she go?" I wondered aloud. "Where can she be?" _When will she come again, calling for me?_

_Calling for me..._

* * *

Frodo

With the first traces of Autumn chill beging to creep into the late summer air, I found it was a good time for a walk outside. I took along Pippin and Sam, seeing as Merry was still ill from his encounter with the river last night. Now there was something I couldn't understand. _Why did he go to the river in the middle of a storm? _It then dawned upon me. _He wanted to find that girl,_ I thought. _The one he claimed to see last week! _Now my curiosity had peaked. I stopped walking suddenly, with my two friends stopping right behind me. "Frodo?" Pippin said, "What's up? Why'd we stop?"

"Sam, Pip, how about we go down to the river? The leaves are just starting to change color, you know." They agreed, but I sensed that Pippin had an idea of what I was up to.

For about twenty minutes, we walked aling the path, enjoying the beautiful foliage and each other's company. Soon though, we came into view of the Brandywine, to our favorite spot, but there we were met with a surprise.

A young hobbitess, about my age, with long, sunny hair lay unconcious on the shore, wrapped in naught but what looked like a sodden cloak. Her unearthily pretty face was pinched in a grimace, as though she was in pain. Sam and I stopped short, but little Pippin approached the girl. He knealt down to her, and began to coax her out of the unwaking state.

* * *

Ariel

My first feeling was a pair of strong, soft hands gripping my arms, shaking me awake. _Father?_ I thought weakly, forgetting where I was. "Miss? Miss, are you alright?" A young, innocent voice called to me. _Wait, that sounds like... No, there's no possible way..._ I cracked my eyes open, and as they adjusted to the bright light, I found the outline of a curly haired fellow. "She's waking!" The voice called over his shoulder. _Wait... Was that Pippin's voice?_

Finally, my eyes gained focus, and I saw three very familiar hobbits peering down at me. "Miss, are you alright?" Pippin repeated. I nodded weakly, then remembered the potion. I tried to push myself up, and Frodo came to my aid. "Here, miss. Let me help you. Sam, let me borrow your cloak!" I looked over and saw Sam dutifly take off his cloak and hand it to his friend. the dark haired hobbit drappedthe cloak over my drenched form, concealing my lower body. "Can I ask your name miss?" Frodo said, extending one of his hands to lift me from the ground. I looked up and him and opened my mouth- but no words came out. Then I remembered the warnings on the bottle. _I'd lost my voice?_

_"_Mister Frodo," Same spoke up, "I believe she's lost her voice." _Bless you, Sam,_I thought, looking over to the sweet hobbit. I nodded to him. "Well, miss, I believe that we should get her somewhere safe and warm- Possibly Bag End, Mister Frodo?"

He considered it for a moment. "You're right, Sam. It's the closest place. Can you walk, miss?"

I paused, but then reached out and grapped his outstretched hand. He pulled me to my up, only to find that I'd fall back down again. _I'm not so quite used to my new legs! "W_oah, there!" Pippin cried, grabbing at my arms. "You're probably still dazed, let me help you." So, while being supported by three of my hobbits, we started to started towards Frodo's home, Bag End, on my ungainly new legs.

* * *

Merry

I took my mug of tea from the kitchen and settled back down in the parlor. Absentmindedly, I sipped the drink, wondering where my friends where. _They should be back... It's almost elevensies! _I chuckled, knowing that any second Pippin would be bursting though the big green front door, demanding something to eat. And yet, even as I though of my young cousin, my thoughts turned right to the girl. I couldn't get her out of my head! I owed her my life, and I never got the chance to thank her. I could almost hear her voice... as warm as summer skies... Inspiration struck just then. I got out of the chair, and ran to Frodo's study. I nabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, and I scribbled down my poem.

_Somewhere there's a girl_  
_Who's like the shimmer of the wind upon the water_  
_somewhere there's a girl_  
_Who's like the glimmer of the sunlight on the sea_  
_Somewhere there's a girl_  
_Who's like a swell of endless music_  
_Somewhere she is singing_  
_And her song is meant for me_

Satisfied, I lay the feather pen down, admiring my work._ And they think Bilbo and Frodo are the only writes in Hobbiton! _Just then, there was a loud knocking at the front door. I tucked the parchment into my waistcoat, and ran to the door. _Must be Pippin and the others... Just in time for food!_ I opened the door to a shock. My three friends were carrying between them a young hobbitess, with long, light hair that looked remarkably familiar. She looked up from the ground, and I took notice of her eyes.

They were amazingly sea green... Just like the River...

* * *

_Hey, y'all! Finally back on schedual with these darn stories! (PS; The poem is from The Little Mermaid musical...)_

_Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!_


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